Some Things to Do if You or Your Child is Experiencing Worry

Worry
is a form of fear. It certainly is a normal reaction given the traumatic
experience you or your child have been exposed to recently. Some people
who have everything going for them sometimes worry that the bottom will
fall out of their world.
Worry too, is the result of feeling vulnerable and powerless. Worry, like
a thunderstorm, never comes to stay; it too, leaves in time. Sometimes
our worry is beyond our control because we can’t always influence
or change what others are doing. We can’t stop the rain from raining.
Sometimes we can’t stop the worry.

The
least helpful thing to do about worry is to do nothing. It’s
like having plans to do something outside, it rains, and your plans
are canceled. Instead of changing your plans and doing something else,
you sit
and look
out the window at the rain. The longer you sit, the more depressed you
will
get.

If, after answering
the following questions, there are no additional actions to take about
that worry, then it is important to just let the worry be and engage in
the other activities. You might as well as the worry isn’t going
anywhere soon. You don’t have to let it stop you from having fun,
taking care yourself and of other responsibilities. The reality is, by
changing your focus and pursuing other activities, the worry eventually
takes care of itself. Remember, worry is not a permanent condition. As
you begin to feel strong because of other things you are doing with your
life, the worry becomes smaller, or no longer a worry.

How
to Relieve Worry

Children worry
when their parents worry. The following can help relieve your worry
as well as your child's.

What is your
biggest worry?

On a scale
of 1-5, 5 being the most severe, how severe is your worry? 1 -
2 - 3 - 4 - 5

What specifically
would make your worry go away?

Can you directly
initiate or prevent what would make your worry go away/happen?

What
can’t you control about the factors of your worry?

Has what
worries now worried you before? (Is your worry now the same as your
worry before?)

Has it happened
to anyone you know?

If the answer to
the previous two questions is yes, what did you do after the worry
happened?

Did this worry
destroy you or did you, in time, find a way to go on with life?

Can you
accept that there are some things in life we can’t control,
predict, or prevent?

Can you accept
that all we can control is what we choose to do when something happens?

If
your worry did happen to come true, what exactly would you do to
survive and not let that incident beat you down?
List what
you would
do.

How will you know
when your worry is eliminated?

What
are you going
to do now that
there is no more
to do about your worry? List these and take action.

NOTE: If your worry persists and occupies a lot of
your time and energy, you need to ask for help from
a trauma
consultant.

More articles in: Stress and Anxiety

The U.S. Marine Corps, known for turning out some of the military's toughest warriors, is studying how to make its troops even tougher through meditative practices, yoga-type stretching and exercises based on mindfulness.

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